


Introduction

by AirgiodSLV



Series: Introduction [1]
Category: The Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-02
Updated: 2006-02-02
Packaged: 2019-07-20 11:34:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16136393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AirgiodSLV/pseuds/AirgiodSLV
Summary: Dom felt warm suddenly, and was rather acutely aware that Elijah’s body language was starting to scream flirtation. He wasn’t sure which was worse: that he noticed, or that he wanted to respond in kind.





	Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> [](https://oneangrykate.livejournal.com/profile)[oneangrykate](https://oneangrykate.livejournal.com/) inspired me to play with the cool robo-fic kids. This is total and utter crack, and I take full responsibility for it. Thanks to [](https://impasto.livejournal.com/profile)[impasto](https://impasto.livejournal.com/) for attempting to talk sense into me during the beta.

“Dominic Monaghan of AXIS, you may proceed.”

Dom let go of his lanyard, the pink plastic ID card falling back into place against his chest. “Thanks,” he offered on his way past the shiny robotic guard, which seemed to be mostly for display and didn’t reply. He wasn’t sure what to expect, really; he’d never delivered to a company as large and important as CyberTech before, and the closest he’d come to seeing their products before this was an advert on the entertainment screens. Security was tight, though; he’d had to be pre-screened and cleared before he could make this delivery, and he’d already had his ID card checked three times since walking through the front door into the lobby.

Everything was very clean, and very sparse…he supposed it was meant to look trendy and futuristic, but the effect came off more like a super-sanitized hospital ward without patients. He checked the label on the package one more time and headed over to the B wing, where he stopped at the front desk, unsure of how to proceed from here, and waited for someone to show up to security-check and direct him. There was no one behind the desk, and no bell; Dom scruffed at his hair and shifted his weight, ready to be on his way before the time-pay on his hovercraft wore off.

“Hey.”

The voice came from very close by, and Dom jumped a little before he saw the young man leaning against the counter watching him. He was well-dressed and well-groomed, as tidy as the security personnel downstairs had been, and just looking at him made Dom feel scraggly.

“Hey,” he answered uncertainly. “Say, do you, uh…”

“Work here?” the man said with a smile, and then let out a peal of bright laughter. It echoed against the bare white walls, and Dom startled, heart racing before he calmed down enough to answer with a weak smile of his own. At least there was one person in this building who wasn’t blank-faced and impersonally efficient.

“I don’t,” the man said apologetically, then grinned again. “But I know some people who do. I’m Elijah, by the way.” He stuck out his hand and Dom shook it automatically, slightly off-balanced by the way Elijah’s eyes sparkled when he smiled.

“Dom,” he said, a bit dumbly, and hoped he didn’t look as much of an oaf as he felt. “I’m here on delivery, I have a package for…”

“Miss Tyler, B23,” Elijah finished, relaxing back against the polished countertop of the reception desk. “Yes, I can see that. Have you worked for AXIS long?”

Dom frowned, then hastily cleared his expression. “A few years,” he admitted, shifting his weight again and then freezing, feeling awkward next to Elijah’s casual grace. He scratched at his chin-stubble and shrugged. “Never been here, though.”

“Really?” Elijah looked more interested now, leaning forward. Dom felt warm suddenly, and was rather acutely aware that Elijah’s body language was starting to scream flirtation. He wasn’t sure which was worse: that he noticed, or that he wanted to respond in kind.

“So what do you think?” Elijah asked, and Dom had to take a moment before he understood the question.

“Oh, uh…” He tried to come up with something positive, and ended up saying, “It’s very…clean.” It sounded lame in his head even before he said it, and saying it out loud only made it worse, but Elijah didn’t seem to mind. He shifted slightly closer, eyelashes lowered in a way that made Dom’s heart hammer.

“I’ve always wondered what it must be like, for people to come through those doors…in,” Elijah clarified, and Dom licked dry lips, already leaning in without any conscious direction from his brain towards those cupid’s-bow pink lips. “What they think once they’re inside.”

“Elijah!” a female voice cried suddenly, and Dom jerked back so fast that he jammed his elbow into the reception desk behind him.

A young woman in a lab coat was hastening towards them, her expression a cross between exasperation and relief. “I’m so sorry, sir, was he bothering you? Elijah, you know you’re not supposed to talk to anyone except the technicians.” Her scolding was soft-voiced, and her hands on Elijah gentle when she pulled him a few steps back from Dom, like a worried mother.

Elijah’s expression turned contrite, although Dom didn’t believe for a moment that it was sincere. “Sorry, Liv.”

The young woman – Liv – turned to Dom with an apologetic smile. “Again, I’m so sorry. He’s very curious, likes to wander off when we’re not paying close enough attention. The last time I found him he was almost out the door.” She laughed, and Dom smiled in response, slightly bewildered but wanting to be polite to someone who appeared so genuinely warm.

“Well, at least he didn’t get that far this time,” she finished, and Dom’s glance darted between her and Elijah, tentative.

“Er…so he’s a…that is…is he…?”

“The very latest in AI technology,” Liv said proudly, placing one hand on Elijah’s shoulder in a proprietary yet affectionate gesture. “He runs circles around every other model on the market.” Over her shoulder, Elijah rolled his eyes good-naturedly. Dom tried not to snicker, and then realized in confusion that he was sharing a joke with a computer. He’d had no idea they were capable of making them so…realistic.

“He hasn’t been released yet, but we have every confidence in his abilities,” Liv concluded. She beamed at Elijah, who pasted on a smile in response.

“I’m a personality prototype, can you tell?” he announced cheerfully, and then shrugged when Liv looked worried. “It was a Douglas Adams joke, never mind.”

Liv’s worry melted into relief again. “Oh, he does like to read. Science fiction, he says it’s his version of history. I’m sorry, can I help you with something, mister…” Her eyes tracked to his ID card. “Monaghan? I don’t mean to bore you, I’m sure you must have other deliveries to make.”

Dom fumbled to present his package and pretended not to notice Elijah’s eyelashes fluttering behind Liv’s shoulders. “I, uh…”

“Miss Tyler, B23,” Elijah interrupted, taking the package from Dom’s clumsy hands and setting it neatly in Liv’s. “Mission accomplished.”

“Oh, thank you.” Liv’s smile was sweet and genuine, and Dom wondered if she realized that Elijah – who must be brilliant, being a cutting-edge supercomputer – was in fact directing witty barbs at her with nearly every sentence and imitated gesture. He also wondered if Elijah was perhaps getting tired of hanging around with lesser intellects, and then felt immediately guilty for the thought, and also a little stupid.

“Well, I’ll just be going,” Dom said, and cleared his throat when Elijah blew him a kiss behind Liv’s back and mouthed, ‘call me.’

“Thank you again,” Liv said, and Dom gave her a quick nod before turning to go. He pretended not to notice the slow way Elijah winked at him as he did, and felt his ears burn at the sound of laughter echoing off the walls behind him, all the way to the door.


End file.
